Tag Archives: Geoffrey

Americana Paddock Questions – Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

At the end of May Geoffrey Horton popped along to the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival and kindly sent a large number of photographs, including those selected today which have an American theme.

Kurtis 500S, Tom Claridge, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival,

Built in 1953 Tom Claridge’s Kurtis 500 S #022 was originally supplied with a de Soto motor, after an accident in 1954 the car was rebuilt with the current Chrylser Hemi # C53-8-I5990, this car has been seen at the Goodwood Revival meetings.

Chevrolet Corvette, Bruce Miller, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival,

I am not sure of the racing provenance of Bruce Millers Sunoco liveried 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, but I understand the chassis number is #30867S118408, if you know more please chip in below.

Mercury Cougar XR7, Ike Keeler, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival,

The racing provenance of cars raced in the 60’s is never easy, there are references pertaining to Ike Keeler’s #14 Mercury Cougar,chassis #7F91C597587, being the Bob Estes sponsored #79 driven by Mark Waco which do not tie up on the dates I have found elsewhere on the internet, a Burien Mercury sponsored #14 Cougar was driven at least twice in 1967/68 by Dave Tatom, again if you can clarify these anomalies please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Doug Schultz, Dodge Daytona, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

I beleive Doug Schultz’s #7 Hilton Charger is a 1969 Dodge Daytona driven by 1966 and 1973 NASCAR Camping World Series West Champion Jack McCoy who recorded 54 wins during his career from the late 1950’s to early 1990’s.

Ford Boss Mustang, Jim Hague, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival,

Ken Epsman’s #16 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 appears to be the car Bud Moore entered for Peter Gregg in the 1971 Trans Am series.

Pontiac Firebird, William E. (Chip) Connor, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

After an accident during practice for a Trans Am race at Road America Jerry Titus lost his life in August 1970 after crashing his #8 Terry Godsall Racing Pontiac Firebird similar to the one belonging to William-E.-Chip-Connor above.

Chevrolet Camaro, John Hildebrand, Sonoma Historic

2011 Indy Rookie of the Year JR Hildebrand was inspired to start racing after watching his Dad John race the #56 Peerless Racing Chevrolet Camaro that I believe was raced by Craig Carter from late 1978 to 1979.

If you have any additional information on any of the vehicles above please do not hesitate to chip in below. My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Americana Paddock Questions” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at five favorite Ferrari’s that have appeared at Silverstone Classic. Don’t forget to come back now !

Confiscated By The FBI – Ferrari 250 GTO #4757GT

Leave a Reply

When Enzo Ferrari delayed the delivery of Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata’s second Ferrari for the 1962 Le Mans 24 hours the Count turned to several former employees of the Ferrari team to convert his 250 GT SWB into a GTO challenger the infamous Ferrari “Breadvan”.

Ferrari 250 GTO, Sonoma Historics,

It would appear that Count Volpi and Enzo made up their differences the following season when the Count is believed to have taken delivery of today’s featured GTO chassis #4757GT after it had been entered in the 1963 Le Mans 24 Hours by the factory for Carlo Mario Abate and Fernand Tavano who crashed the car after completing 105 laps from 12th on the grid.

Ferrari 250 GTO, Sonoma Historics,

Carlo Abate is then known to have driven #4757 to class victories on four hillclimbs before it was entered in the 1963 Tour de France by Scuderia SSS Repubblica di Venezia for Fernand Tavano and Lorenzo Bandini who retired from the event after an accident.

Ferrari 250 GTO, Sonoma Historics,

Georges Marquet acquired the for the 1964 season and under the Ecurie Francorchamps umbrella competed in at least a dozen events including races and hillclimbs winning the Coupes Benelux, Zandvoort, Anvers hillclimb and Bomeree hillclimb events outright.

Ferrari 250 GTO, Sonoma Historics,

There after the car made it’s way to the USA via Jaques Swatters in 1965.

In 1982 Christopher Murray of Middletown Rhode Island is said to have bought #4757 for $345,000 two years before fleeing to Spain to avoid a drugs related indictment.

Murray was murdered in Spain in 1987 the same year the FBI who had confiscated the car in December 1984 sold it through a sealed bid auction for $1.6 million.

From 1988 to 2009 #4757 resided in The Netherlands and returned to the USA in 2010 when it’s present owner bought the car.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton who took these photographs of #4757 at last years Sonoma Historics meeting.

Thanks for joining me on this “Confiscated By The FBI” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at only surviving Le Mans Bristol. Don’t forget to come back now !

Another Austrian Hillclimber – Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione #2701GT

Leave a Reply

Today’s Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione chassis #2701 GT was taken by the Ferrri factory it’s debut at the 1961 Le Mans test weekend for Fernand Tavano, Mike Parkes and Jo Schlesser to drive.

After setting the 6th fastest time, fastest in class, #2701GT ended the weekend with accident damage and after being rebuilt Count Carlo & Masalmo Leto di Priolo of Milan bought the car for Masalmo to race in 1962.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Rolex Reunion, Laguna Seca,

Austrian Egon Hofer bought #2701GT from German Guenther Peter-Lex for DM 6,000 in February 1967 and is known to have driven it to class victory on the Weerberg and Gaisberg hillclimbs.

Egon then took #2701GT to the 1967 Targa Florio where he shared the car with Anatoly Arutunoff where carrying the #74 it failed to finish.

After the original motor was repaired, sold on and replaced with a Ferrari 330GT unit Anatoly bought the car for $3,900.

Since then it has remained in US ownership and is said to have had an unspecified “American drive train” fitted in the 1970’s, which was replaced by a Ferrari 250 GTE motor in the 1980’s.

Current owner Warren ‘Ned’ Spieker has owned the car since 2004 and he shared driving it at Goodwood in 2005 with Sir Stirling Moss in the TT Celebration race.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton who took today’s photograph at the Rolex Reunion a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “Another Austrian Hillclimber” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a 1952 Allard. Don’t forget to come back now !

Belgian Pseudonym City – Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta #1321GT

Leave a Reply

Welcome back to a short run of Ferrari Friday’s which will be running during the month of June.

Amazingly of the seven Belgian drivers known to have raced today’s featured 1959 Ferrari 250 LWB GT, only one raced the car under his own name.

Chassis #1321GT with a Single Louvre body by Scaglietti was supplied to Garage Francorshamps for “Jean Beurlys” aka Jean Blaton.

Ferrari 250 LWB GT, Sanoma Hisotrics,

“Beurlys” drove the car on five occasions between 1959 and 1960 starting with a 2nd place overall and first in GT Class on the Tour de Cote de La Roche-en-Ardenne on the 12th of April 1959 which was followed two weeks later by the Le Mans Test Weekend in which he recorded 4th fastest time with same car.

Armand Blaton who raced under the pseudonym “Blary” won the Course de Cote de Charleroi, Bomerée hillclimb out right with #1321GT on the 31st May 1959 before the car was taken to the Nurburging where brothers “Beurlys” and “Blary” shared the driving to a 9th place finish overall, first GT Class, in the 1000 kms race.

Before the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hour race the car was taken back to the factory for servicing, repairs and for the original black stripe to be replaced with a yellow stripe.

Ferrari 250 LWB GT, Sanoma Hisotrics,

For the French endurance classic “Beurlys” teamed up with “Eldé” alias Léon Dernier who obviously had a sense of humour when choosing his pseudonym with LD being his initials.

All joking aside the Belgian pair driving the freshly restripped #1321GT finished 3rd and again took class honours after 24 hours of racing.

“Beurlys” was entered by Ecurie Francorchamps to drive #1321GT in the Monza Grand Prix for GT cars but appears for reasons unknown not to have started the race.

Ferrari 250 LWB GT, Sanoma Hisotrics,

Belgian Pierre Noblet became the first driver to compete in #1321GT under his own name when he shared the driving with “Beurlys” and “Eldé” at the 1960 Le Mans Test Weekend where the car was again credited with 4th quickest time overall, first in GT.

In May 1960 German architect Manfred Ramminger bought the car, but is only known to have entered it on one occasion for the 500 kms race at Spa in May 1963 where he is listed as having failed to arrive.

The original engine was reported as damaged and has been replaced twice since 1966, the car made it’s way to the USA in 1968 and has been with it’s present owner Charles T. Wegner since July 2011.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photo’s of #1321GT taken at the Sanoma Historics last year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Belgian Pseudonym City” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a a 1931 Talbot 105 Team Car “G054”

Secretaries Turnkey Racer – Shelby G.T.350 R #SFM5R098

Leave a Reply

Allegedly when Carroll Shelby first saw a Ford Mustang his original description was of a mere “secretary’s car”, but that did not stop him building a run of over 500 2 seat 350 G.T.350 variants to meet the Sports Car Club of America’s requirements and a special run of 34 G.T.350 R turnkey racers like today’s featured chassis #SFM5R098.

The 34 G.T.350 R cars were fitted with blue printed motors that produced up to 360hp, weight saving plexiglass side and rear window’s and Goodyear Blue Dot tyres mounted on American Racing 15″ x 7″ wheels.

Shelby G.T. 350 R, Concours On The Avenue, Carmel By The Sea,

Today’s featured G.T. 350 R, photographed by Geoffrey Horton at Concours On The Avenue, Carmel by the Sea, a couple of years ago is the 7th to have been built and the fifth to have been delivered to a paying customer in the form of Ned Owen.

Ned raced this car, which featured an Essex Wire Black stripe with orange pin stripe in SCCA class B Production races from 1965 to 1967 with Ford drivers Skip Scott and Ken Miles also said to have had one off drives in the car.

Shelby G.T. 350 R, Concours On The Avenue, Carmel By The Sea,

In 1967 #SFM5R098 was purchased by a Canadian who crashed it in 1969 after which it remained in an Ontario barn until it was bought unseen by Shelby aficionado Rick Kopec of Connecticut for $5,000.

Rick had #SFM5R098 restored to the condition it was in when bought new by Ned Owen only changing the race number from Owen’s customary #92 to #98 in deference to the cars chassis number.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Secretaries Turnkey Racer” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Cobra Hi Riser – Shelby Mustang GT 350

Leave a Reply

In order for Ford’s new 4 seat Mustang to compete in the SCCA’s B Production class Carroll Shelby set about building a series of Shelby Mustang G.T. 350’s to meet the series regulations which stipulated a requirement for a minimum 100 examples of a “2 seat sports car”.